Mosin Nagant M91-30

The Mosin Nagant 91-30 was the primary Soviet infantry rifle from 1930 to 1945. This bolt action rifle was a shortened version of the M 1891. The biggest difference in this modification is the change in sight measurements to meters, round receivers instead of hexagonal ones, and an added hood for the front sight. Hexagonal receivers are available as the Soviets converted older rifles to the 91-30 standard and of course the Soviets had to use up the extra hex receivers that had not yet been made into rifles.

These rifles are the Mauser of a later generation of surplus buyer, plentiful and usually in excellent condition (thanks to Soviet refurbishment in Ukraine). Although, at the time of this writing (2016) the tap has begun to run dry and a nice example will cost approximately $160 and they are not as widely available as they were. Most of the commercially available examples in the US were refurbished in Soviet arsenals to arm peasants for a conflict that never happened.

Surplus ammunition is widely available, but quality varies as most was produced from the 1950s to 1980s. 7.62x54r is a rimmed round behaves a lot like .308 ballistically.

Tula examples are usually more prized by the collector (receiver markings including a star as shown above), however, ironically for some years of production, far more Tula examples were produced.

The Soviets produced many variants, some of which are dealt with in more detail on this site. Many other countries produced the M91 with many variations of features and dimensions. These rifles are a very robust design. Although they are not aesthetically pleasing, they are very durable.

The accessories and bayonet for this rifle can still widely be purchased. The attached link contains a good number of the genuine components: